


Concrete Angel

by Not_a_Mastermind



Series: wing series [5]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-21 22:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_a_Mastermind/pseuds/Not_a_Mastermind





	Concrete Angel

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Criminal Minds (wish I did) or its characters. I am simply borrowing them for a moment. No money is being made from this work it is simply for the enjoyment of the fans.**

**Authors note: This work was hard for me and I hope no one gets mad at my decisions for this story. I know the song reference is odd but I couldn’t find one about men so this one will have to do. Hanky may be needed.**

****_A statue stands in a shaded place_  
An angel girl with an upturned face  
A name is written on a polished rock  
A broken heart that the world forgot

**_-Concrete Angel (Martina McBride)_ **

 

 

It was cold, he could see his breath as a white puff of mist as he exhaled a sigh. Everything around him was white and gray and gripped in silence. Taking a deep breath he started off down the obscured path, his boots making a crunching sound as they marked the pristine snow. The cold crept in on him as he went and he shivered slightly. The lack of color and sound tugged at his nerves as he walked and the cold added to his feelings of sadness and natural winter months depression. His mind started to wander and he stilled for a moment before he shook his head as if to stop it. He knew where it wanted to take him, the memories that he tried to bury. But he knew in the end he couldn’t block them, not when he was here, in this place. So he gave up and began to trudge on as the scene around him began fading away to the memory he long wished was just a nightmare.

 

 

CMCMCMCMCMCM

 

 

They had been working on a case that was hard on the team but especially on Reid. They had been called to Montana after several bodies of students and staff at two local colleges had turned up. As the victims were diverse it took some work to connect them all and put together what was going on. They had recently discovered that the unsub, a boy named Toby was picking off people who had bullied him. Which lead to a tense standoff in the college’s agricultural wing. Toby had come in search of his next victim, a teacher who he felt wronged him, and seen the team looking for him. He had run to the outer buildings of the school before ducking into a work lab. The lab was occupied at the time with students in agricultural design and construction. Toby fired off a few shots to get the students attention and compliance as he herded them into the middle back of the room. He stood close to them so he could see the whole place, keep them trapped and take a person hostage if necessary. This had left room for the team to come in but obstacles in the way of a clear line of fire on the unsub. When the team had come in they fanned themselves out blocking the door and getting views from all angles. There were too many variables to get the good outcome they wanted without causing harm to the hostages. Hotch had made the decision for the team to try and negotiate with Toby. That was where it had all gone wrong in Morgan’s mind; they should have just shot Toby before anything else could happen.

 

“Toby I’m agent Hotchner and this is my team, we just came here to talk to you.” Hotch started the negotiations in a calm manner not lower his weapon but lowering his shoulders and bending his knees slightly to seem less threatening.

 

“Don’t come any closer” Toby shouted at them inching closer to the students.

 

“Okay, okay, just tell us what’s going on alright” Hotch answered.

 

“You’re just like them I can tell” Toby shouted moving his gun around but not pointing it at anyone or anything in particular yet.

 

“Like who Toby, who are we like?” Hotch asked even thought they all knew who.

 

“Them, the students, the teachers. They were always picking on me, holding me back, treating me like I was nothing” Toby cried out one hand raking through his hair as his gun lowered slightly.

 

The students seeing that Toby was focusing on the team had begun to shift and inch slowly away, the outer students first.

 

“Don’t move!” Toby shouted shifting his attention back to the students who did stop and waving his gun around at them and the team as he took a few steps closer to the group. The team had tensed up at this and were lining up their best shots at Toby. But he stopped still a little ways away from the students and brought his gum back towards the team. “See they listen now, now that they see me, now that they know what I am capable of.”

 

“Yes they see you and we do too so why don’t we talk about this. Tells us what it is you are looking for, what do you need?” Hotch went on calmly but tightened his grip on his gun just waiting for a right moment.

 

“I’m done talking, and I don’t need your help getting what I need. You don’t know what I want, you have no idea” Toby kept his gun up but it was waving and shaking slightly.

 

“But we do Toby, I do” Reid’s voice answered before Hotch could. “Your young, younger than most of your classmates. And smart, very smart but they don’t like that so they chose not to see it, and when they do it’s only to hurt you with it.” Reid went on as Toby turned his attention on him and away from the students. “They try to put you down, make you less than them but they couldn’t do it. Not right away but they chip away at you, they never stop and it never seems to get any better. You try to show them try hard to withstand them but you can’t.” Reid was inching forwards and raising his arms our in a gesture of clam and submissive behavior, but his gun never wavered.

 

Toby’s full attention was on Reid now, his gun slightly lowered and wavering finally pointed in one direction, towards Reid. He seemed to be calming down getting lost in Reid’s words as if thinking of something else. The students had started moving again very slowly towards the girls positioned on one side of the room or Rossi on the other.

 

“They didn’t understand I just wanted them to understand, I wanted what I earned” Toby said loudly no longer shouting in a voice that was tinted with longing.

 

“That’s right” Reid kept talking now standing between the team and Toby and students. But then one of the students stumbled over something on the floor causing Toby to snap into awareness instead of memories and seek out the noise.

 

Noticing the position of the students Toby let out a cry of anger and brought his gun up and swung it towards the students.

 

The team saw his hand tightening on the gun, knew that he was going to pull the trigger. They knew they would have to take the risk of injuries as they lined up their gun sights on Toby. The first shot hit him in the shoulder and he spun back as he pulled the trigger sending a round of bullets in all directions as the team opened fire on him.

 

The sound of shots fired was deafening and after a second the adrenalin kicked in and time seemed to speed up. Everyone was ducking for cover and some were shouting, in the background glass was breaking, mixing with dirt, stone and plant matter which was sent flying into the air. Morgan had returned fire as he too forced his body down and out of the line of fire. It was over in seconds, in fact as soon as he hit the ground the noise around him was already fading away. He was scrambling to his feet eyes darting around for danger, voice commanding as he told everyone to stay down. He ignored the pains of his body from the fall and the debris that now covered the lab floor and littered the tables.

 

“Morgan, you alright?” he caught Hotch a few yards from him gun trained on something on the ground he couldn’t see. Hotch’s shirt sleeves were covered with dirt and spots of blood and something had caught him in the leg but he seemed to be okay.

 

“Yeah” he called back now taking the time to really look around sensing the threat was over. Hotch called out to the rest of the team and he watched for them as they reported in. Prentiss was helping JJ stand up by the door to the lab. Both had dirt and plant matter on them, Prentiss’s right arm was bleeding slightly the blood seeping through the white in spots. JJ was leaning against her, and Morgan was willing to bet she had hurt her leg or foot. Rossi was leaning on a once smooth now shattered garnet table. His jacket was a little torn up and he had a cut on the side of his head, possible more on his body under his jacket where his vest didn’t cover. When Reid’s turn came up there was no answer and Morgan couldn’t see him. Panic flooded him instantly and he began moving to where he had last seen his friend noting the twinge in his left ankle. “Reid” he called as he moved scanning the lab of his friend and partner. Rossi was moving towards Hotch, Prentiss and JJ towards the students still on the ground, he was left to look for Reid. He moved sweeping left and right in the direction he had last seen Reid, between Hotch and Rossi and Prentiss and JJ. He spotted a shoe poking out from behind a table turned on its side. Morgan rushed over kicking plants, and stones out of his way to get to the other side of the table and the owner of the shoe.

 

His heart seemed to stop for a minute when he rounded the table before starting again and pounding as if someone was using it as a drum in a speed contest. Reid lay over various pieces of broken stone and greenery. But splayed out on both sides of him arching up and away in stark contrast to the bed of debris was dark red blood in a hideous imitation of angel wings. He crashed to his knees not caring that the stones bruised and poked him.

 

“Hotch get a paramedic Reid’s hit. Agent down, agent down!” Morgan shouted not caring how he sounded scared and panicked and slightly angry. After his report all his attention went into assessing and helping Reid. There was no sign of damage to the front of his bullet proof vest so Morgan looked over Reid’s side facing towards him and saw it. Somehow a bullet had entered Reid’s side where the thinner elastic straps held the vest together. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem area but Reid had had his hands and arms elevated when the shooting started. It was a very small percentage of a chance; Reid could have told him the exact statistics, of being hit here. But when were the odds ever in Reid’s favor? The bullet had entered one side and passed out the other that was the reason for the bloody wings. He looked up to Reid’s face to reassure him and saw his eyes wide with fear as he looked around before locking eyes with Morgan. There was a line of blood coming from Reid’s nose and mouth and it was bright with a few bubbles in it.

 

“Mo-or-ggg-ann” Reid managed to breath out in a weak scared voice.

 

“Don’t talk kid, I got ya okay don’t talk” Morgan set his gun down and leaned forward spreading his arms and bringing a hand to both of Reid’s sides never breaking eye contact. “I’m sorry kid this is going to hurt just a bit” he tried to sound calm, convey a false easiness and he presses his hands into Reid’s sides.

 

Reid hissed and his eye lids drooped as he winced and more blood came out his mouth, brighter than before with more air bubbles. “Mm-g-nnn” Reid wheezed his eyes full of fear began glassing over and losing focus.

 

“Reid come on, stay awake kid, keep those eyes open and focus on me okay” Morgan was almost pleading and didn’t care. His friend and colleague lay sprawled on the ground next to him possibly dying. He was trying desperately to stop the bleeding coming from Reid’s sides. But only one hand on each wound wasn’t helping much and there was only so much pressure he could apply in his current position. Short of sitting on Reid’s legs and covering him it wouldn’t be enough and yet it had to be enough at the same time. Part of the team had gathered around but with the way everything was positioned they could only stand and wait for the paramedics. What was taking them so long they should have been here.

 

“Ssss-oo-rrrr-yy” Reid hissed out as he exhaled more blood this time pink and mostly in bubbles.

 

“Don’t be sorry kid, don’t be, you’re doing good okay just hang on.”Morgan was beginning to lose it his eye sight getting blurry as tears filled his eyes. He applied more pressure straining his shoulders and bending his arms at an awkward angle. It was all he could do as the rest of the world faded out leaving him with tunnel vision locked on Reid’s eyes. He was watching the moment the bright light of life they held was put out, felt the last breath expelled the sound deafening to his ears. He let out a cry and shook Reid slightly as if to snap him back to reality, his tears now spilling out an down his cheeks. He stayed there until Hotch pulled him away by force. The rest of the team was herding the students out of the lab to waiting ambulances. Ambulances that should have been there sooner, that should be leaving with Reid to the hospital to get patched up again. But they wouldn’t be leaving any time soon and not with Reid.

 

Hotch held on to him for a bit before letting go and stepping back but not leaving. Morgan knew he was giving him a final look before he’d be forced out and to an ambulance to get looked over and treated himself. He wiped his eyes making sure he wouldn’t miss anything even though he knew Reid wouldn’t want him to remember him this way.

 

Reid lay spread out where he fell upon the broken stones, dirt and crushed plants, hair haloed around his head arms out and bent, legs stretched out. The stones and dirt looked almost like an old ruin of an alter, the plants a draping of wings, leaves his feathers. A seconds set of smaller inner wings made of his blood covering the plants making the scene complete. Like a fallen angel given to sacrifice his empty eyes stared up at heaven from which he had come. Reid truly was an angel at that moment, to him and to his team and to the students whose lives he had saved by distracting his killer enough for them to get out of the line of fire.

 

Morgan closed his eyes and let Hotch lead him out and away to start get better even if at that moment he didn’t want to.

 

 

CMCMCMCMCMCM

 

 

He came out of the memory to find himself standing at his destination. He stood now just off the path in a thicker layer of snow. Before him stood a tall oak tree its bare branches reaching towards the gray cloud covered heaven, small icicles suspended where leaves would hang come spring. But in front of the tree almost standing guard was the angel on a raised block of granite. In this part of the cemetery its solitude was sad yet looking at the angel one could feel a small sense of peace. It was as if it was trying to convey that it was okay, it was waiting but there was no rush in that waiting. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath before releasing it in a burst of a big white cloud which was carried away on a small breeze and opened his eyes. His head was tilted up to gaze upon the angel’s face, a face he knew so well. The visage of his friend, forever young a shy smile and curious expression looked down at him. Hair finally perfectly behaved tucked behind his ears, tie straight tucked under a sweater vest, pants with edges clean and crisp ending in a pair of converse sneakers. And spread out behind all of this springing up from his back was a set of beautifully crafted and precision detailed wings. They almost seemed to be real with the layers molded out with different kinds of stones and the feathers individually carved. The tips were bent slightly inward to give the effect that he was welcoming you in and would take flight at any moment. All of this in ornate stone work of various types, shapes, and colors giving it an almost life like look. Trying to reflect some of the life that the real person the angel resembled had held within him. If angels were real this was what he imagined they would look like. After what seemed like forever his eyes traveled down to the pedestal base the angel stood on. This was made out of one large piece of granite unlike the angel. Chiseled out of its smooth surface was a name, some dates, and a few words. So few words to describe so much life it seemed almost unfair.

_Spencer Reid_

_1981-2012_

_Beloved son, Best friend_

_Bright light to briefly seen_

It had been made as a gift for the service he had devoted and given his life to by the students he had saved on his last and fatal case. Kneeling down he places a batch of brightly colored flowers at the base of the pedestal, making sure they are stuck into the snow and leaning against the stone. They stand out in stark contrast to the pure white snow and dark stone. He runs his fingers over the name as tears collect in his eyes but don’t fall.

 

“Merry Christmas pretty boy,” Morgan says as he looks up through the tears and his lashes. The sun has chosen that moment to let a ray of light slip through the clouds to land on the angel casting it in a glow and giving it a halo with a rainbow of colors thanks to his tears. He has to give a small gasp before chuckling as he stands once again. He thinks that Reid is up there watching over him in this moment, letting him know he’s okay. “You be good up there and wait for me yeah. I hope you can wait a while until they put me here next to you because I got to help raise some kid who’s gonna be your name sake according to Garcia.” A slight breeze blew by him and he nodded knowing his message was received. With one final look upon the angel he turned and began his long walk back to the car and away from the angel’s grace until the summer months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Authors note take 2: Thanks to all for reading and reviewing. Sorry to those who didn’t like that I killed Reid. I am taking one of my reviews to heart and trying to do one kink per holiday/season. Next up is a valentine theme chapter which will have 2 versions. One for friendship and one for slash so be warned now. Again thanks for waiting for me to post, you to enjoy and hopefully me to get reviews.**


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